This week at Draycote 409 anglers have caught 1323 fish giving us a rod average of 3.2.

The fishing here at Draycote this week has been very good, with outstanding catches from the bank as well as the boat. The water clarity is excellent, with no algae bloom as yet, helped of course by the lack of sunshine. Un forecast strong westerlies have made for uncomfortable fishing, with heavy squals drifting through from time to time.

Overall, the bank is fishing just as well as the boats, with the fish pushed tight in against the margins in nearly every spot on the reservoir. Anglers are literally catching trout in just a few inches of water on various patterns such as Diawl Bachs, Hares Ears, and Crunchers. Dries such as Daddies, hoppers and Bobs Bits are also producing some good bags of fish.

The boat anglers are also doing extremely well, with a good spread of fish all across the water. Fish can be caught at nearly any depth but seem to be mostly clustered in the top few feet of the water column. A washing line with 2 Diawl bachs and a Foam Daddy on a floating line has proved deadly, as has a team of nymphs fished on a midge tip. But by far the most exciting sport has to be dries, fished across the middle of the water from a drifting boat. We’ve had some good dry fly seasons before, but this one takes the biscuit. Believe me, If you’re not too confident fishing dries and you need some practice, or want more experience , come here to Draycote,as anglers fishing dries across the middle, in particular around B and P buoy, are catching fish of 5lbs and over on a fairly regular basis.

On Monday season ticket holder Rodger Kerrison had a good days sport using dries on the top dam, with his top patterns being big reds and claret bobs bits. Rod Wilson and Jim Dempsey had a day great on the rudder using DI 3 and DI 5’S across the middle of the reservoir, moving from the top dam all the way through to P, X and H buoy.Their best flies where tubes and snakes. Also utilising the rudder on Monday was Steve Barby & Mr A Bell who again used DI 3’S and snakes.

Tuesday saw the bank fish very well with a number of catches into double figures. The Tuesday regulars were again out on the banks in force. With Jude Tuffs leading the way in the catches using big reds fished within 2ft of the bank in Biggin Bay and Lin croft point. Not to be left out of the dry fly action, Tony Broadway landed 10 cracking fish,a number of which took him down to the backing, again using big reds. Brian Warwick also caught well on the cornfield and Lincroft point using dries, again big reds and little claret bits featured in his return. While on the other end of the reservoir in Rainbow corner James Walker caught well using Diawl Bachs. Out on the boats Norman Perkins had a good days sport landing 8 fish for 25lb 8oz.

Wednesday saw the good fishing continue, with the bank again fishing well. The fish were feeding on shrimps and terrestrials 2 feet from the bank. Season ticket holder Dennis Jones had a good day by the overflow on the Hensbrough bank, landing 14 fish on size 14 Diawl bachs. Also catching well of the bank was Tony Broadway again on big reds in Biggin Bay. Out on the boats Ed Douglas had a fantastic day catching 21 fish on dries. He fished around the Hensborough bank and the top dam wall with his top patterns being hoppers and bobs bits. Eugene Hughes had a great day on the boats on Wednesday landing 25 fish, all from the middle of the reservoir using Di 5 and Di 7 sweep lines and lures. He then progressed onto dries once conditions improved a bit.. Mr P Hallam and Mr L Booth landed 28 fish to the boat on dries with brown and red shipman’s being the top flies as well as hoppers. The pair found the best areas for them where Toft and Biggin Bay.

Thursday was really a day for dries with nearly every angler filling out the comments section saying dries was their top method. Tony Broadway was again catching on dries in Biggin bay with Brian Warwick for company on the bank also getting in on the action. Another angler enjoying good sport from the bank was Mr C.J. Day who landed 10 fish again on dries.

From the boats Mr G Gibson had a good day landing 13 fish. Also on the boats was Dave Summers who landed all his fish on dries with hoppers, shipmans and bits being the top patterns. Eileen Chatwin who used dries and nymphs fished on a midge tip to land 13 fish, with her best areas being Hensborough bank, cornfield and toft.

Mr C Critchley had a good day Friday from the boats landing 19 fish with 5lb 12oz being the biggest. Peter Elliot and Yousef Dar also had a cracking day using dries from various points on the reservoir to land 45 fish to the boat with the best flies being hoppers, bits and shipman’s. Bob Askew had a good day Friday as well using tubes on the rudder to land 15 fish from across the middle. The bank continued to fish well with Tony Broadway back again and catching really well on a variety of patterns which included dries and Diawl Bachs.

On Saturday Mike Garner caught 4 from the bank on different dry patterns. Peter Biernacki also had 4 fish from the bank , again using dries. Melvin Severn caught 10 good fish on Saturday from a drifting boat using a series of dries down to a size 16. Season Permit holder Mr Jim Hall caught and released 15 fish from the bank on Saturday using shrimp and dry fly patterns. Draycote Regular Mr Paul Lloyd had 14 fish good fish from the bank, just by the overflow, all on orange hoppers.

In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. If not in the lodge it will be found on the counter in the gutting room next door.

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available.

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

Congratulations to Ms Marion Rutter of Amersham who is the winner of this week’s Free Boat Draw.

Demo Tackle

We now have a considerable amount of Sage & Rio demo tackle available to try at Draycote. The following link will take you to the website where you can check out the available items: We have added a 10ft 7wt SAGE ACCEL to our demo rods

John Horsey Anglers World Fly Fishing Championships two heats Sat 6th August & Sun 7th August(floating Line only heat) to book for this competition contact john@flyfishingchampionships.uk

Jim Williams Tuition Day 6th August.1 Place left to book contact the lodge.

Jim Williams Tuition Day 7th August.2 Places left to book contact the lodge.

Bank Angler Car Park

Angler Car Park number 7 will be closed for 2 weeks while Severn Trent repair a footpath and will be using the car park to store stones for the repairs. Anglers wishing to fish in the areas below car park number 7 will have to park in either car parks 6 or 8 and walk to the area.

Selling of Fish

Anglers are not allowed to sell fish to members of the public on site.

Disabled Parking Bays

Please do not use the disabled parking bays on site unless you are in possession of a blue disabled badge.

Finish Times

All anglers are to ensure that they are back at the lodge and booked out by the finish time stated on the day. Please do not be late, as this causes many problems for us.

Gutting Room

Please be aware that the Gutting Room refurbishment has now been completed. Much work has taken place & we would ask that you respect the facility and leave it in the same way in which you would wish to find it. Please also note that no fish are to be gutted after 21:15

Returns

Many anglers have been failing to book out at the end of their fishing. In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. Too many anglers have been failing to do this of late & this distorts the figures leading to potential fishery management issues.

Rudder Hire

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

This week at Draycote 344 anglers caught a total of 1433 fish giving a rod average for the week of 4.1. A varied week weather wise with some days with near perfect conditions, making way to days of strong winds, rain and patchy bright sun, these changeable conditions made the fishing tricky at times however the rod average remained steady around the 4.0 throughout the week.

Monday saw the week get off to a fantastic start with numerous anglers enjoying great sport. Top rod on the day went to season ticket holder Kevin Rees who landed 27 fish all falling to dries. Kevin found the fish up near the inlet and down the dam wall in the shallow water. Kevin fished small size 14 bobs bits in red and fiery brown. Also out on the boats Steve Barby had a good days sport using the rudders and tubes to land 14 fish from the middle of the lake.

Tuesday saw the Draycote regulars take to the bank and as usual they found the fish. Brian Warwick had a good day fishing the top of the cornfield using crunchers on the washing line and small claret bobs bits to take 12 fish. Jude Tuffs had a good day landing 13 fish from in Biggin Bay, Jude found the key to her success was to take advantage of how close the fish where to the bank and to not wade, fishing a big red 2ft out. Tony Broadway landed 14 fish from the bank in Duns bay using washing lined crunchers with a FAB on the point and commented how nearly all fish took the nymphs rather than the FAB. Stan Hillman also had a great day from the bank catching 14 fish including a 7lb brownie and a 6lb rainbow using CDC patterns. From the boats Mr A Masters and MR E Masters had a good day landing 21 fish to the boat using Diawl Bachs, buzzers, dries and snakes catching from Rainbow Corner and Biggin Bay.

Dennis Jones had a good day from the bank Wednesday landing 16 fish on small size 14 Diawl Bachs fished near the outlet on a floating line. Out on the boats Mr Wood and Mr Jones had a great day fishing dry shipman’s buzzers in the middle of the lake to land 26 fish with the best being a 5lb rainbow. Having a fantastic day in the boat was Eugene Hughes who landed 31 fish washing lining nymphs on a fast glass in the middle of the lake. Another boat who had a great days Sport was Paul Walker and Jimmy who weighed in a 9 fish bag for a fantastic 31lbs which included a 5lb brownie. They found that the fish wanted white boobies fished around D buoy on sinking lines. See pictures on Facebookwww.facebook.com/FlyFishStore

Mr C.J Day enjoyed good sport from the bank on Thursday landing 16 fish from the cornfield, Lincroft point, Dunns and Toft. Mr Days top flies where boobies, damsels and buzzers fished on a floating line. Mr Andy Birkett and Brent Vinall enjoyed good sport to a variety of dry flies with the majority being over 3lb with a number of 4lbers mixed in. John Dickens and Kevin Rees also caught well using dries this time small size 14 bits being the key to success and like Monday Kevin found the fish in the shallow water near the inlet. Mr Pelly had a good evening on the last four hour ticket landing 6 fish all on big reds and even managed to hook a Vision rod that was pulled in by a fish on Monday.

Friday saw the return of the regulars on the bank, and again it was the same anglers who caught well. Tony Broadway landing 12 fish to washing lined nymphs, John Dews taking 10 to the same tactic and Jude Tuffs having 12 fish again on dries. On the boats Peter Elliot and Lee Pattern had a good days sport landing 22 fish. Alan Guest and Andy Dowell took 20 fish to their boat Friday from a various areas.

On Saturday Draycote hosted the HASSRA fly fishing competition with 16 anglers from all over the country taking part the top rod went to Mick Barker who had 14 fish, Mick found that the fish wanted nymphs or dries fished high up in the water. A Birkett and B Vinall had good days sport landing 22 fish to the boat all on dries, with hoppers & shipmen’s near the tower and the dam wall being the best tactic. Lee Henfrey and Ronnie Gent enjoyed good sport down in toft shallows landing 26 fish to the boat, and commented on the amount of grown on in toft. Spencer Williams and Steve Hawkins had an absolute red letter day landing 40 fish to the boat all falling to dries with brown shipman’s and big reds being the best patterns.

Season ticket holder Dave Pacey and Paul Lloyd enjoyed good sport on the rudder going from A-B buoy using sinking lines and tubes to take 12 fish to the boat. Lee Henfrey returned Sunday with Nigel Keeber and they again found the big fish down in toft landing over 30 to the boat using tubes and snakes on 3 and 5 inch per second lines.

Another angler who enjoyed a good days sport was Tony Day who was out on a guided day with Fishery Ranger Tom Bird on fishing dries. Tony landed 10 fish 9 of which were on a big red. Their top area was the shallow water in front of the inlet and along the dam wall. You can book Tom for a guided session on Draycote by contacting the lodge, pictures of Tony successful morning with Tom atwww.facebook.com/FlyFishStore

Weekly Stats:

Number Rods:344Number Trout Taken:498Number Trout Released:935

Total Catch:1433Weekly Rod Average:4.1

Current Fishing Times :

Bank:07:30 until21:45

Boat All Day:8:30until21:45

Boat Part Day:AM8:30until15:00PM15:00until 21:45

Last 4 Hours from:17:45until21:45(Ticket sales available from17:30)

All Anglers to be off site by: 22:00

In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. If not in the lodge it will be found on the counter in the gutting room next door.

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available.

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

Congratulations to Dave Adams of Hardingstone who is the winner of this week’s Free Boat Draw.

Demo Tackle

We now have a considerable amount of Sage & Rio demo tackle available to try at Draycote. The following link will take you to the website where you can check out the available items: We have added a 10ft 7wt SAGE ACCEL to our demo rods

John Horsey Anglers World Fly Fishing Championships two heats Sat 6th August & Sun 7th August(floating Line only heat) to book for this competition contact john@flyfishingchampionships.uk

Jim Williams Tuition Day 6th August.3 Places left to book contact the lodge.

Jim Williams Tuition Day 7th August.4 Places left to book contact the lodge.

Bank Angler Car Park

Angler Car Park number 7 will be closed for 2 weeks while Severn Trent repair a footpath and will be using the car park to store stones for the repairs anglers, wishing to fish in the areas below car park number 7 will have to park in either car parks 6 or 8 and walk to the area.

Selling of Fish

Anglers are not allowed to sell fish to members of the public on site.

Disabled Parking Bays

Anglers need to ensure that even for short periods whilst obtaining a fishing permit, they only use the disabled parking bays adjacent to the main car park, if they are the holder of a duly displayed “blue badge”.

Gutting Room

Please be aware that the Gutting Room refurbishment has now been completed. Much work has taken place & we would ask that you respect the facility and leave it in the same way in which you would wish to find it. Please also note that no fish are to be gutted after 21:30

Returns

Many anglers have been failing to book out at the end of their fishing. In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. Too many anglers have been failing to do this of late & this distorts the figures leading to potential fishery management issues.

Rudder Hire

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

Draycote saw 378 rods take catch a total of 1725 fish for a rod average 4.5 for the week, it has been a busy week here at the fishery with a number of competitions taking place. The weather for the week has been changeable with lovely sunny skies one minute followed by heavy rain and strong wind the next, this has made the fishing in these conditions tricky but when the settled weather came fishing has been outstanding, with catches over 25 been seen from both the bank and the boat.

Monday saw the fishing kick off in great form with a rod average for the day of 6.67. Out on the boats Rod Wilson had over 35 to the boat from all over the reservoir using a 3 inch per second sinking line and various black flies. Included in this big catch were 15 fish over 4lb and a fantastic 5lb brown. Also on the boats were Lee Pattern and John Hardman who had a good day with 22 fish to the boat using floating line with buzzer an nymphs. It wasn’t just the boats that where into the good sport the bank fishing has continued to remain excellent. Season ticket holder Kevin Rees had a great day landing 28 fish on small size 14 Diawl Bachs on a floating line from the cornfield and rainbow corner.

Tuesday saw the good bank fishing of the day before continue with season ticket holders Brian Warwick and Gordon Slack land 12 and 10 fish all on a floating line with a team of buzzers and FABs from the Cornfield. John Dickens also has a good day from the bank landing 23 fish all on Diawl Bachs. Out on the boats Fishery Ranger Tom Bird and Richard Hood had a good days sport landing 30 fish to the boat. They found that the fish wanted flies high in the water near the outlet with Richard washing line nymphs to land 12 fish while Tom using dries to land 18 with Big Red being his top pattern on the day. Also on the boats Malcolm Capper had an enjoyable day landing 8 fish all falling to nymphs.

Wednesday was the wettest day of the week with constant rain all day. However these damp conditions did not stop the fishing from pulling. D Kennel and E Mitchell enjoyed a good day’s sport landing 29 fish to the boat on a fast glass and blobs and boobies. Our very own Kev Hart was also out on the water guiding between two boats. Between the two boats they landed a total of 25 fish to a variety of methods with black snakes on a 3 inch per second sinking line accounting for the fish during the majority of the day, and then dries in the evening, around the inlet.

Thursday saw the fishery host the Alex Booth charity fly fishing competition with 56 anglers taking to the water. The rod average for the competition was 4.4, the best fish of the compition went to Tony Smith with a 4lb 10oz rainbow. Tony all took top spot landing 12 fish 24lb 6oz, in second place was Sean Hanlon with 13 fish for 23lbs and in third Paul Angell with 12 fish 22lbs. The best method for the competition seemed to either by dries, nymphs fished on a floating line or blobs pulled just under the surface on intermediate lines. Outside of the competition C.J Day had a good day on the cornfield from the bank landing 14 fish on a washing line with size 12 black buzzers.

Friday saw the Civil Service host there annual national competition with anglers from all over the country taking part. Unfortunately we don’t have a full copy of the results to gie specific names and number but I know that the best method for the anglers was to fish an intermediate line with blobs and cormorants. Outside the competition organiser Frazer McConnell and Craig Barr enjoyed a good day pulling blobs and lures on intermediate lines. Out on the bank season ticket holder Tony Broadway landed 19 fish from the various mark along the North Shore on Crunchers fished on the washing line. Dennis Jones enjoyed good sport from the bank near the outlet on size 14 Diawl Bachs to land 12 fish. Another angler cashing in on the good bank sport was John Dews who landed 12 fish including a cracking 4lb 4oz rainbow on nymphs fished on a floater again from the North Shore.

Saturday a number of anglers took to the water practicing ahead of the England qualifier the next day so information on methods and number so fish were being kept close to the chest. However some anglers did reveal the method of catching fish. There seemed to be two main methods either fishing a team of nymphs with a booby slowly on a slow sinking intermediate or fish a team of cormorants and a blob on a 5 inch per second sinking line. With the best areas being the Hensborough bank A & B Buoy, toft and the cornfield.

Sunday hosted this year’s England Qualifiers with 12-13 anglers fishing for a place in the National final on Chew Valley Lake on the 10-11 September. Conditions where very different to that off the day before that greeted the 46 anglers, the high winds and rain had given way to a light breeze and warm sunny conditions. The match was fished a 5 fish kill limit then catch and release a further 10 to make 15 then time bonus for early finishers. Iain Barr took top honour on the day with 15 fish by 4pm which gave him 38lb 7oz plus time bonus for an early finish. Iain’s method on the day was to fish a slow sinking intermediate with 2 boobies and 2 nymphs and then swapping the boobies for blobs after this first 5. Iain found the fish in a number of areas with H buoy being a particular hotspot. In second place was Ashley Davies with 13 fish Ashley utilised a similar method to Iain but on a standard intermediate, and found his fish around E buoy. In third place was Jeff Wilkinson who fished down in toft on an intermediate line. The best fish of the competition went to Ian Gaskell with a 5lb rainbow taken near the inlet on a Diawl Bach fished on a floating line. Outside the competition Peter Elliott and Lee Pattern had a fantastic day from the bank fishing over on the cornfield using buzzers on a floating line to land 27 and 25 fish.

Weekly Stats:

Number Rods:378Number Trout Taken:574Number Trout Released:1151

Total Catch:1725Weekly Rod Average:4.5

Current Fishing Times :

Bank:07:30 until22:00

Boat All Day:8:30until22:00

Boat Part Day:AM8:30until15:15PM15:15until 22:00

Last 4 Hours from:18:00until22:00(Ticket sales available from17:45)

All Anglers to be off site by: 22:15

In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. If not in the lodge it will be found on the counter in the gutting room next door.

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available.

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

Congratulations to Paul Miley of Ashby St Ledgers who is the winner of this week’s Free Boat Draw.

Demo Tackle

We now have a considerable amount of Sage & Rio demo tackle available to try at Draycote. The following link will take you to the website where you can check out the available items: We have added a 10ft 7wt SAGE ACCEL to our demo rods

Jim Williams Tuition Day 6th August.3 Places left to book contact the lodge.

Jim Williams Tuition Day 7th August.4 Places left to book contact the lodge.

Selling of Fish

Anglers are not allowed to sell fish to members of the public on site.

Disabled Parking Bays

Anglers need to ensure that even for short periods whilst obtaining a fishing permit, they only use the disabled parking bays adjacent to the main car park, if they are the holder of a duly displayed “blue badge”.

Gutting Room

Please be aware that the Gutting Room refurbishment has now been completed. Much work has taken place & we would ask that you respect the facility and leave it in the same way in which you would wish to find it. Please also note that no fish are to be gutted after 21:30

Returns

Many anglers have been failing to book out at the end of their fishing. In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. Too many anglers have been failing to do this of late & this distorts the figures leading to potential fishery management issues.

Anchoring

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available. Some anglers came close to being disappointed this week when almost all of the available passes were used.

Rudder Hire

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

The fishing has continued in the same good form as last week and the previous week with some changeable weather conditions. For the most part it was nice warm sunny/ overcast days however there were a few heavy downpours which have made the conditions unpleasant but even in the rain the fish were still willing to pull.

There have been some fantastic catches from both boat and bank, with the sport coming from all areas of the lake. On a variety of methods from floaters to fast sinking lines, at times it has been a case of pick the method you would like to catch on. This week’s catch of 1758 fish for 349 anglers gave a weekly Rod average of 5.0.

A comment from all the anglers this week has been the amount of pin fry around the lake and how this has resulted in the fish really feeding hard. While these fish can be tricky to catch them being so preoccupied on the fry, the best tactics to fool these lovely grown on fish is to using a team of UV crunchers or silver thoraxed pheasant tail nymphs on a washing line.

Monday saw the fishing get off to a good start with a number of anglers returning with double figure catches from the boats Malcolm Petri has 14 fish. However the best catch of the day came by Peter Bierinacki who landed 17 fish from the various marks along the north shore as well as Rainbow Corner with all the fish falling to a self-tied black buzzer.

Tuesday saw some fantastic catches with the bank fishing really excelling. Season Ticket holder Tony Broadway landed 25 fish all from the Cornfield using 2 size 12 black buzzes and a tequila FAB on a floating line to tempt the fish. Also having a good day on the bank was Mr Tappingden who landed 12 fish from the cornfield on a mix of buzzers and crunchers. As well as great catches from the bank the boats found the fish just as willing to take a well presented fly. Mr Ian Pugh had a great day landing 21 fish using both dries and nymphs. Ed Douglas also had a great day on the water landing 15 fish all on small nymphs and buzzers. A boat paring who also found the fish but this time on fast intermediate lines and blobs was Chris Webster and Richard Hood who had 25 plus fish to the boat and commented how the caught fish in nearly every spot they stopped.

Wednesday saw another good day with a rod average of 6.1. Having a good day out on the boats was Richard Dayman and N Perkins who landed 23 fish to the boat fishing by the outlet on nymphs. Also enjoying a good days sport was Mr Howard Rutter who was fishing with his wife and had three fish on the same cast using a team of buzzers and landed them all good angling!Mr B Hall and I Morris found Diawl Bachs the key success in their boat landing 33 fish.

Thursday the rod average continued to increase this time to 6.9, with both the bank and the boats fishing well. We hosted the Cheshire Police regional competition against Greater Manchester Police. 12 anglers took to the water catching 118 fish for a rod average of 9.8. Taking top place was Cheshire A with all their anglers catching the limits with Richard Hood taking top spot finishing at 12.15, Richard found that the fish wanted 2 blobs on a fast glass on the Hensborough bank. Also having a great days sport to a very different method was K Davies and R Tozer who had 24 fish to the boat including some fantastic grown on fish taken through the middle on dries. Although the best catches of the day fell to the bank anglers. Mr C.J Day had a red letter day landing 31 fish from the cornfield all on crucnhers. Not far behind Mr Day was Tony Broadway who improved on Tuesdays catch with 26 fish again all on buzzers and FABS this time Tony moved around the North shore catching fish from the cornfield, biggin bay, Lincroft point and Tower Bank. Tony also commented how many double hook ups he was getting and lost a number of fish due to it. Season Ticket holder B Warwick also moved around the North shore to land 18 fish.

Ian Richarson found that on the following day it was more the blobs and Diawl Bach combination that was tempting the fish to the net landing 10 great fish from both the cornfield and the swans nest in toft. Mr T Evans and Mr J Evans had a good days sport from the boat landing 16 fish to Diawl Bachs from Biggin bay, including some fantastic grown on fish. Mr Close and Mr Moreton also enjoyed good sport landing 24 fish to the boat.

Dennis Jones enjoyed good sport from the bank on Saturday up on Rainbow Corner landing 10 good fish targeting the pin fry feeders. On the boats Mr Mann and Mr Reale had a great days sport landing 25 fish to the boat fishing with dries and Diawl Bachs from a drifting boat around the middle and through rainbow corner and biggin bay. Another angler having a good day but this time on a completely different method was Matt Hanlon who landed 12 fish on snakes.

Sunday saw the fishery host this year’s round of the Scierra Pairs competition with 13 pairs fishing for 3 places in the final in August. With good catches being had all week it was clear that big fish would be needed to see you through to the final. The competition was fished to a 16 boat limit then time bonus for early finishers. There were 6 teams with 16 fish so weight was crucial the first pair to bag up was Mark Close and Dave Morton who had their 16 fish to the boat in just 1 hour 15 mins. However unfortunately even with all that time bonus the fish just weren’t big enough for a space in the final. Taking top sport was Neil Deakin and Graham Bell with their 16 fish weighing in at 46lb 12oz without time bonus. They found that the big fish where around P buoy in the middle of the lake and their method for catching the good fish was to fish a fast glass with a tube and the a Di 3 with snakes. In Second were Ian Buckley and Glen Moody and then taking the final qualification spot was Mike Dixon and Mark Harrison. To see the full result of the Scierra Pair please visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/flyfishstore.

Outside of the competition Nigel Keber and Lee Henfry had a great days sport with 16 a piece again going through the middle using tubes to catch some fantastic grown on fish. Another boat doing well was the pairing of Iain Barr and Ed Foster who had 37 fish to the boat.

Weekly Stats:

Number Rods:349Number Trout Taken:633Number Trout Released:1125

Total Catch:1758Weekly Rod Average:5.0

Current Fishing Times :

Bank:07:30 until22:00

Boat All Day:8:30until22:00

Boat Part Day:AM8:30until15:15PM15:15until 22:00

Last 4 Hours from:18:00until22:00(Ticket sales available from17:45)

All Anglers to be off site by: 22:15

In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. If not in the lodge it will be found on the counter in the gutting room next door.

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available.

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

Congratulations to Mr Derek Eccleston of Wellesbourne who is the winner of this week’s Free Boat Draw.

Demo Tackle

We now have a considerable amount of Sage & Rio demo tackle available to try at Draycote. The following link will take you to the website where you can check out the available items: We have added a 10ft 7wt SAGE ACCEL to our demo rods

John Horsey Anglers World Fly Fishing Championships two heats Sat 6th August & Sun 7th August(floating Line only heat) to book for this competition contact john@flyfishingchampionships.uk

Jim Williams Tuition Day 6th August.3 Places left to book contact the Draycote lodge. 01788812018

Jim Williams Tuition Day 7th August.4 Places left to book contact the Draycote lodge. 01788812018

Selling of Fish

Anglers are not allowed to sell fish to members of the public on site.

Disabled Parking Bays

Anglers need to ensure that even for short periods whilst obtaining a fishing permit, they only use the disabled parking bays adjacent to the main car park, if they are the holder of a duly displayed “blue badge”.

Gutting Room

Please be aware that the Gutting Room refurbishment has now been completed. Much work has taken place & we would ask that you respect the facility and leave it in the same way in which you would wish to find it. Please also note that no fish are to be gutted after 21:30

Returns

Many anglers have been failing to book out at the end of their fishing. In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. Too many anglers have been failing to do this of late & this distorts the figures leading to potential fishery management issues.

Anchoring

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available. Some anglers came close to being disappointed this week when almost all of the available passes were used.

Rudder Hire

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

Yet another week of outstanding sport here at Draycote Water. The weather, as always, has played a big part, with some heavy thundery downpours interspersed with flat calms and bright sunny spells. God only knows what the rest of the summer has in store for us.

Both boat and bank anglers have had significant catches from just about everywhere on the water, in fact, it’s become more a case of briefing anglers on where not to go at times. The weekly Rod average was 4.9.

The bank anglers have been taking fish all along the north shore with the hot spots being Dunns Bay, Lincroft Point and the Cornfield. Some excellent returns have also come from the Hensborough Bank and the area in front of the overflow. Despite sometimes bright conditions fish are being caught quite close to the bank, at times even under the rod tip. On Saturday we witnessed trout feeding no more than 3 feet from the bank down by the swans nest in Toft.

There seems to be a huge amount of pin fry around at the moment, particularly by the inlet in Rainbow corner. The Perch are obviously hammering into them but at the same time so are the trout. It’s the ability to distinguish between the two surface movements that is the problem. As an angler, you can be drawn to a lot of surface movement in the water, only to find that when you actually take a closer look, it’s a large shoal of Perch. In cases like this it is sometimes better to move on to other parts of the reservoir, than spend some very frustrating fishing time in these areas.

Boat anglers have been pulling out some good quality early season stock from all over the place. Of particular note are the quality and size of the fish holding up around B and P buoy, the deeper water in front of the overflow and around Middle Shoal. One angler in particular reported a large brown trout smashing his rod just as he was about to net it. Ah, the hard fighting Draycote trout flexing their muscles yet again.

Catches are coming from every level of the water column, but more so in the top few feet of the water, with the fish succumbing to Buzzers, Diawl Bachs, Crunchers, Hares Ears and dries. Indeed, fishing dries across the middle if the reservoir has produced some excellent sport for many anglers.

On Wednesday Mr J Munro and Mr S Cairns caught 13 fish from a boat near the Tower, on snakes. Also on Wednesday season permit holders Mr Richard Hanlon and Mr John Hanlon caught over 40 fish between them. Mr E Hughes had over 40 fish from a boat using snakes and boobies on a fast glass and DI 3 sweep.

Regular Draycote angler Mr Peter Biernakicaught 14 fish from the bank on Friday and commented on a fantastic afternoon on the Buzzer. Peter visited us again on Sunday and this time caught 16 fish on his own Buzzer pattern.

Saturday saw the arrival of both the Osprey Fly Fishers and the England Youth Team.

The Ospreys did really well with 14 rods catching a total of 55 fish.

The England youth Team were here for team training for two days under the instruction of Mr Charles Jardine, Paul Angel, Tom Gott, Nick Dunn, Ed Upton and Paul Wild. On their first Day 10 anglers netted over 80 fish between them.

Other significant catches onSaturday were, Jim Dempsey and Ivor Jones with 36 fish between them from a boat. Mr G Darlow with 14 fish from the bank. Mr Bob Smith with 7 fish from the bank. Season Permit holder Mr Jim Hall with 25 fish from the bank on Diawl Bachs, “A red letter day”.

Sunday saw Mr Richard Dayman and Mr John Kirk catch a total of 22 between them from a drifting boat. Mr Neil Deakin had 16 fish, again from a boat. Mr Ray Cramp caught 11 fish on Diawl Bachs from the bank.

Weekly Stats:

Number Rods:290Number Trout Taken:497Number Trout Released:927

Total Catch:1424Weekly Rod Average:4.9

Current Fishing Times :

Bank:07:30 until22:00

Boat All Day:8:30until22:00

Boat Part Day:AM8:30until15:15PM15:15until 22:00

Last 4 Hours from:18:00until22:00(Ticket sales available from17:45)

All Anglers to be off site by: 22:15

In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. If not in the lodge it will be found on the counter in the gutting room next door.

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available.

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

Congratulations to MrM Severn of Derby who is the winner of this week’s Free Boat Draw.

Demo Tackle

We now have a considerable amount of Sage & Rio demo tackle available to try at Draycote. The following link will take you to the website where you can check out the available items: We have added a 10ft 7wt SAGE ACCEL to our demo rods

Jim Williams Tuition Day 6th August.3 Places left to book contact the lodge.

Jim Williams Tuition Day 7th August.4 Places left to book contact the lodge.

Selling of Fish

Anglers are not allowed to sell fish to members of the public on site.

Disabled Parking Bays

Anglers need to ensure that even for short periods whilst obtaining a fishing permit, they only use the disabled parking bays adjacent to the main car park, if they are the holder of a duly displayed “blue badge”.

Gutting Room

Please be aware that the Gutting Room refurbishment has now been completed. Much work has taken place & we would ask that you respect the facility and leave it in the same way in which you would wish to find it. Please also note that no fish are to be gutted after 21:30

Returns

Many anglers have been failing to book out at the end of their fishing. In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. Too many anglers have been failing to do this of late & this distorts the figures leading to potential fishery management issues.

Anchoring

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available. Some anglers came close to being disappointed this week when almost all of the available passes were used.

Rudder Hire

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

Another warm week here at Draycote, this provided some good hatches of buzzers and saw a lot of beetles and other terrestrials being blown on to the water. As a result dries through the middle started to make more of a feature on the catch returns with a number of fantastic grown on fish being reported, visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/FlyFishStore to see some of the trout Draycote Fishery Ranger Tom caught last week on dries.

Monday saw a very warm sunny day, not ideal conditions for reservoir trout fishing. However despite the tricky conditions a number of anglers found the method to catch good numbers. Although the methods couldn’t be further apart. Mr L Mudie and Mr S Mudie landed over 35 fish to the boat fishing around the Hensbrough bank and Rainbow corner fishing a 8 inch per second sinking line and a team of lures.Then on the opposite end of the fly fishing spectrum Mr T Grove and Mr J McGarrell had 24 fish to the boat using a team of buzzers and the cdc shuttlecock patterns to tempt the fish in the bright flat conditions.

Tuesday again saw another warm bright day. Season ticket holder Ed Douglas had a good day from the boat having 13 fish all falling to nymphs fished on a floating line. Mr Grove and Mr McGarrell where back again on the water again using buzzers and cdc dries to great effect to catch 14 fish to the boat. The best catch of the day came from the bank with Mr L Cheshire having 22 fish to the net using crunchers and pheasant tails on a floating line from various marks along the North shore.

The bank continued to fish well on Wednesday with regular Jude Tuffs taking 9 fish. The best catch from the boats came to Mr E Hughes who had over 30 fish to the boat, Eugene fished a number of methods throughout the day to tempt the fish from blobs and lures on a sinking line to dries. His best area was long drifts through the open water in the middle of the reservoir. Another boat enjoying a good days sport was Mr E Philips and Mr R Owens who landed 20 fish.

The fishing improved slightly on Thursday as a slightly rippled greeted the anglers which made a welcome change tothe flat calm bright conditions of the previous two days. This ripple seemed to assist both the boat anf bank angler with good catches being recorded from both. On the bank Tony Broadway landed 18 fish all coming to buzzers. Mr C day also enjoyed good sport from the bank netting 15 cracking rainbows. From the boats Mr Brooks and Mr Adams had a great day landing 24 fish to the boat. Mr B Clark had a great days sport using buzzers all day long to landed 27 fish. A further great catch saw Mr V Davies and V Gwilliam land 20 fish to the boat using nymphs in the morning followed by claret hoppers in the afternoon cast at rising fish.

Friday saw near perfect conditions and as a result dries where the order of the day. Mr T Evans and Mr J Evans had 26 fish to the boat all falling to dries. Also on the boats Mr Ellis Phillips, Rowland Owen and Viv Davies also caught well utilising orange and claret hoppers. The best areas on the day for fishing the dries came through the middle drifting around K, P,S and X Buoy, although any wind lanes to be seen through the middle are worth a look as they are sure to have a number of hungry rising trout in them.

Saturday saw the fishing become slightly trickery than the day before. However Mr Gary Diarlow had a good day from the bank landing 9 fish. On the boats the best catches still came from fishing a combination of dry flies and buzzers.With anglers J Smith, J |Robbins and T Evans recorded good catches to these methods. Saturday Draycote hosted Derby Fly Fishers for a catch and release competition using our measuring troughs which greatly reduce the competition cost. 14 anglers fished the competition catching 53 fish for a rod average of 3.79. Winning the day was Mike Weaver with 8 fish for 378cm second place went to Clive Wilkins with 11 fish for 377cm and third with 8 fish for 375cm was Pete Skelton

Sunday saw light winds and overcast conditions with the occasional shower, under around 5 which saw a very heavy downpour and thunderstorm. Out on the boats R Sacone had a good day landing 2 fish including a lovely 5lb rainbow. Another boat pair enjoying a good afternoons sport was Dhan Nataly & Danny Lovegrove who had 20 fish to the boat with their best flies being black and owl buzzers and red midas. Doing well from the bank was Mr Tony Worley who had 7 fish all falling from buzzers fished in toft shallows.

Also over the weekend we host Jim Williams tuition days with both days being a great success with all participants commenting on how much they enjoyed the day with 8 out of the 12 catching 1 or more fish in their first ever afternoon fly fishing. The next course being run by Jim is being held on the weekend of the 6/7 August to book places please contact the lodge or visit the website.

Weekly Stats:

Number Rods:335Number Trout Taken:456Number Trout Released:881

Total Catch:1337Weekly Rod Average:4.00

Current Fishing Times:

Bank:07:30 until 21:45

Boat All Day:8:30until21:45

Boat Part Day:AM8:30until15:00PM15:00until 21:45

Last 4 Hours from:17:45until21:45(Ticket sales available from17:30)

All Anglers to be off site by: 22:00

In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. If not in the lodge it will be found on the counter in the gutting room next door.

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available.

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

Congratulations to Mr C Gripton of Byways in Tenbury Wells who is the winner of this week’s Free Boat Draw.

Demo Tackle

We now have a considerable amount of Sage & Rio demo tackle available to try at Draycote. The following link will take you to the website where you can check out the available items: We have added a 10ft 7wt SAGE ACCEL to our demo rods

Jim Williams Tuition Day 6th August. 4 Places left to book contact the lodge.

Jim Williams Tuition Day 7th August. 6 Places left to book contact the lodge.

Selling of Fish

Anglers are not allowed to sell fish to members of the public on site.

Toilets

Anglers please note that the main toilets in the building are due to be completed renovated from the 1st June which take up to 3 weeks, anglers are advised to use the toilet block near the rangers office in the country park.However there will be temporary toilets behind the building.

Disabled Parking Bays

Anglers need to ensure that even for short periods whilst obtaining a fishing permit, they only use the disabled parking bays adjacent to the main car park, if they are the holder of a duly displayed “blue badge”.

Gutting Room

Please be aware that the Gutting Room refurbishment has now been completed. Much work has taken place & we would ask that you respect the facility and leave it in the same way in which you would wish to find it. Please also note that no fish are to be gutted after 21:30

Returns

Many anglers have been failing to book out at the end of their fishing. In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. Too many anglers have been failing to do this of late & this distorts the figures leading to potential fishery management issues.

Anchoring

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available. Some anglers came close to being disappointed this week when almost all of the available passes were used.

Rudder Hire

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

Draycote is really offering some exceptional sport at the moment, despite some challenging weather conditions. The vast majority of fish have been caught in the upper reaches of the water column with dries featuring more and more on the catch return, Fish are being caught from every corner of the water by both boat and bank anglers, with some outstanding overwintered specimens appearing from the deeper spots and underwater features such as A and B buoy, Musborough and middle shoal.

Bank fishing was a bit more difficult this week than it has been in the past. Anglers have reported the fish moving further out into the reservoir in the middle of the day and indeed needing to cast almost a full line to reach them. The northern shoreline, mainly due to wind strength and direction, has been the best place for bank anglers with areas such as Dunns bay, Lincroft point and the Cornfield yielding the best bags. But, as if just to prove me wrong, again, over the weekend anglers from both boat and bank have been having some good sport in rainbow corner, mainly on buzzers.

Despite some anglers performing exceptionally well, we still see the odd blank on the catch return from time to time. Again please, if you are struggling to connect with your quarry, give us a call in the lodge, as by midday or so we generally have a good picture of what is happening out on the water and are only too happy to help.

On Monday season ticket holder Mr Dennis Jones remarked on a good day, netting 17 fish from the bank. Mr Tim Simpson fishing from a boat, had 8 fish for 24lb 9oz, the best of which weighed 3lb 12oz. Mr Andy George had over 30 fish on black and green snake patterns.

Tuesday saw the bank continue to fish well with season ticket holders B Warwick and M Hanlon catching from the bank on buzzers fished from the cornfield. Also enjoying the good sport on the bank was Ray Cramp who had his 8 fish for 22lb fishing lures on various mark around the reservoir. On the boats saw Mr D McKinley and Mr N McKinleystarted there 3 day package with 14 fish to the boat fishing lures and buzzers around A buoy and rainbow corner.

Back for their second day saw the McKinley’s really get into the fish along the Hensborough bank and into the deeper water on A & B buoy they landed over 50 fish using a combination of fast glass with blobs and blacks lures. This method also accounted for some good fish of 6 and 5lb for the father and son duo. Fishing similar tactics again in the deeper water Jim Baxter and Gary Johnson enjoyed good sport landing 49 fish to the boat including some cracking 5lb overwinter specimens. The top method from the bank Wednesday seemed to be a team of buzzers with a goldhead on the point.

Thursday saw the wind increase slightly making the Hensborough side a little rough. However this did not stop the fish feeding well. It was necessary to fish a slightly deeper line such as a 7 inch per second sinking line just to cut under the waves quicker.Taking advantage of these tactics where Jim Baxter and Gary Johnson who again had a cracking days sport landing 33 fish. Also on the boats were Peter Elliott and Lee Patten who enjoyed a great days sport in Biggin bay using buzzers and dries which accounted for 50 fish to the boat. Mr R March & Mr M Sargent also enjoyed great sport utilising a RIO midge tip line with a team of Diawl bachs. The bank also continued to fish well with great catches of over 20 fish on buzzers coming from the cornfield, Tony Broadway remarked that however fish he caught was like a bar of silver.

Friday saw season ticket holder and bank regular Gordan Slack, take a boat out and used cats whiskers on an intermediate line through the middle to land 16 cracking silver fish. Back on the boats was Mr March and Mr Sargent who this time opted to fish dries and Diawl bachs which accounted for 37 cracking fish. Mr Brown & J Cairney had a great day landing 70 fish to the boat using a wide varity of tactics from blobs to dries.On the bank Ian Richardson had a great days sport from the cornfield landing 11 fish on buzzers.

Saturday saw the strong winds of the previous day drop to give way to light winds and warm overcast conditions. There were so many cricket score catches it’s hard to single out individual scores. However there are a couple that are worth a mention, Gareth Jones had a great day with nearly 30 to the boat. Gareth found the fish out on the middle using small shipman’s in size 14 and had some cracking fish around the 4 and 5lb mark. Bob Wallinger also found big fish in the middle using the rudder, where he caught8 fish for 29lb 15oz. Simon Lehane had a cracking day also out in the middle using a 7 inch per second line and a tubes.

Sunday saw Mr L Mudie and Mr S Hydie have a great day landing 45 + fish on a varierty of lures from rainbow corner and the Hensborough bank. Another boat partnership catching well on lures was Mr M Paszowski & Mr R Kidd who had 20 fish to the boat. Also from the boats M Severn had a good day landing 13 fish on the rudder with his 8 fish going 23lb 7oz. On the bank Ray Cramp had a good afternoons sport landing 17 fish using various lures.

Weekly Stats:

Number Rods:406Number Trout Taken:498Number Trout Released:2230

Total Catch:2728Weekly Rod Average:6.71

Current Fishing Times:

Bank:07:30 until 18:30

Boat All Day:8:30until21:45

Boat Part Day:AM8:30until15:00PM15:00until 21:45

Last 4 Hours from:17:45until21:45(Ticket sales available from17:30)

All Anglers to be off site by: 22:00

In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. If not in the lodge it will be found on the counter in the gutting room next door.

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available.

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

Congratulations to Mr T Evansof Kirby in Ashfield who is the winner of this week’s Free Boat Draw.

Demo Tackle

We now have a considerable amount of Sage & Rio demo tackle available to try at Draycote. The following link will take you to the website where you can check out the available items:

Anglers are not allowed to sell fish to members of the public on site.

Toilets

Anglers please note that the main toilets in the building are due to be completed renovated from the 1st June which take up to 3 weeks, anglers are advised to use the toilet block near the rangers office in the country park.However there will be temporary toilets behind the building.

Disabled Parking Bays

Anglers need to ensure that even for short periods whilst obtaining a fishing permit, they only use the disabled parking bays adjacent to the main car park, if they are the holder of a duly displayed “blue badge”.

Gutting Room

Please be aware that the Gutting Room refurbishment has now been completed. Much work has taken place & we would ask that you respect the facility and leave it in the same way in which you would wish to find it. Please also note that no fish are to be gutted after 21:30

Returns

Many anglers have been failing to book out at the end of their fishing. In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. Too many anglers have been failing to do this of late & this distorts the figures leading to potential fishery management issues.

Anchoring

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available. Some anglers came close to being disappointed this week when almost all of the available passes were used.

Rudder Hire

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

A fantastic week here at Draycote with 418 anglers visiting the venue netting a total of 2909 trout representingan overall rod average of 7.0. It has been a good week on the weather front with either lovely warm spring days with clear skies which really got the fish feeding hard on the thousands of buzzers that where hatching, and if the weather wasn’t clear skies and sun. It was warm and overcast and nearly the perfect conditions for fishing, as you can imagine dries really played a part in the catch returns in those days of near perfect conditions.

Monday started in the same fashion that the previous week finished with great catches from both the bank and boats. Out on the bank Bob Smith landed 7 great fish fishing on Lincroft point and the cornfield. Also on the bank was regular Ray Cramp who had 15, on a both lures and buzzers from the tower bank and along into Duns Bay. Out on the boat some fantastic catches where recorded to buzzers. John Mills had 21, using a streamer tip line in the morning and then a midge tip in the afternoon to present his buzzers at the correct depth as the hatch progressed throughout the day. Another angler with a great catch on buzzers was Mr R Stewart who fished Rainbow Corner with buzzers and a biscuit FAB to land 25 fish. Catches of over 30 fish where recorded by M Morgan and D Darcie who again found buzzers the key to a very successful day.

Tuesday saw bright and breezy conditions which as the saying goes are never easy, and as a result the rod average saw a slight dip to 5.5. However there were a number of anglers who found the key to success. Season ticket holder Tony Broadway fished the bank on Lincroft point with two size 12 black buzzers and a small tequila FAB to land 14 fish. On the Boats Mr S Robertson & Mr A McKenzie had a great day landing 39 fish to the boat using buzzers. MR I Pugh also had a good day on the boat landing 13 fish. Dave Burr also had a good day and found that a blue flash damsel fished around Biggin and Duns Bay accounted for his fish.

Wednesday saw much better fishing weather with warm overcast conditions. As a result dries really played a role in the catches for the day. Paul Cushnie & George Barron from Scotland had a great days fishing using a variety of dries and commented that they caught all over the reservoir, and where unsure of the exact number as they lost count.Also using dries to great affect was Andy Lunn who fished black dries to account for 11 fish in a short afternoon session. Ricky Hyde also had a good afternoon landing a number of fish on buzzers on the washing line including having a double hook up which he had to get a fellow anglers help to land both. Also on the boats A Goodway & H Russell landed 46 fish between them on buzzers. Also worth a mention on the day was Eugene Hughes who travels up from London on the train, and landed over 40 fish on a variety of lure and lines from toft to the Hensborough bank.

Thursdays was a slight change to the day before with the same light winds, but unlike Wednesday there was a lack of cloud so it was very warm and bright. West Midlands Police had a friendly competition on the water with 15 anglers going a float; they caught 153 fish giving a rod average for the competition of 10.2. The day was won by Steve Owen who landed 17 fish. The police found the fish on a number of methods from pulling blobs and boobies on 5 inch per second sinking lines to fishing buzzers static on a floating line. Outside of the police match A Ling and P Konizcky had a good day with 20 great fish to the boat as the targeted the larger fish around A buoy using black buzzers on midge tips. Having an absolute red letter day and his personal best for Draycote was Jamie Scott who landed 39 fish mainly from Toft using blobs. On the bank Andy Brown had a good afternoon catching on buzzers down on Toft.

Friday saw similar conditions to that of the day before, however the wind had picked up slightly. There were a number of good catches Friday, but some stand out examples where Tony Broadway on the bank who landed 12 fish from the cornfield on a team a three buzzers on a floating line. Also from the bank Peter Biernaki had a good afternoon landing 8 fish on buzzers and damsels from both toft and the tower bank.On the boats Ed Douglas had a good days sport fishing with a team of buzzers on the Hensborough bank and Duns bay to land 24.

Saturday again saw a very warm sunny day, not the best conditions for fishing, however the good fishing continued despite the bright conditions, with a number of anglers reporting good catches over double figures. D McCloud & S McCloud had a good day fishing buzzers all around the reservoir which accounted for 29 fish. P Bristow & R Cripps also had a good days sport and commented on the amount of double hook ups they were getting fishing with buzzers and diawl bachs. Season ticket holder Graham Homer also had a good days sport landing 12 fish all of which took buzzers fished on a floating line.

Sunday saw overcast skies and slightly stronger wind that had been seen previously in the week. However these slightly strong winds did little to affect the good fishing. On the bank Mr K Fletcher had good days sport landing 6 fish from the cornfields on a red leech pattern. On the boats Mr K Harding and Mr M Clarke had a good days sport netting 35 fish to the boat using buzzers and crunchers fished on a floating line in toft and along the Hensborough bank. Also having a fantastic days sport from the boats was C Adams & S Pozzi who netting an impressive 77 fish on lures fished right down in the bottom off toft near the nature reserve buoys and commented that it was basically a fish a cast at numerous points in the day.

Looking forward to next week the weather looks set to remain overcast and warm, so let’s hope that the fantastic buzzer fishing that has been seen this week continues with the good conditions forecast.

Weekly Stats:

Number Rods: 418Number Trout Taken: 670 Number Trout Released: 2239

Total Catch:2909Weekly Rod Average:7.0

Current Fishing Times:

Bank:07:30 until 21:45

Boat All Day:8.30until21:45

Boat Part Day:AM 8:30until15:00 PM15:00until 21:45

Last 4 Hours from:17:45until21:45(Ticket sales available from 17:30 )

Nofish to be gutted after 21:45All Anglers to be off site by: 22:00

Congratulations to Mike Gillett from Moreton-In-Marsh who is the winner of this week’s Free Boat Draw.

Demo Tackle

We now have a considerable amount of Sage & Rio demo tackle available to try at Draycote. The following link will take you to the website where you can check out the available items:

Anglers please note that the main toilets in the building are due to be completed renovated from the 1st June which take up to 3 weeks, anglers are advised to use the toilet block near the rangers office in the country park.However there will be temporary toilets behind the building.

Disabled Parking Bays

Anglers need to ensure that even for short periods whilst obtaining a fishing permit, they only use the disabled parking bays adjacent to the main car park, if they are the holder of a duly displayed “blue badge”.

Gutting Room

Please be aware that the Gutting Room refurbishment has now been completed. Much work has taken place & we would ask that you respect the facility and leave it in the same way in which you would wish to find it. Please also note that no fish are to be gutted after 21:30

Returns

Many anglers have been failing to book out at the end of their fishing. In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. Too many anglers have been failing to do this of late & this distorts the figures leading to potential fishery management issues.

Anchoring

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available. Some anglers came close to being disappointed this week when almost all of the available passes were used.

Rudder Hire

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

A great week for the buzzeranglerin particular with 430 anglers visiting the venue netting a total of 2723 trout representingan overall rod average of 6.33. Notwithstanding some windy & showery periods, the week brought some perfect spring conditions & buzzer activity was prolific with black patterns producing the best of the sport. Whilst the boats continued to out fish the banks generally there was good sport enjoyed by both.

The week started in spectacular fashion with a Monday rod average of 15.94 for 36 anglers! Sean Coyne & John Moroney were over from Loch Cara on a three day break & by the end of their Monday session had brought 62 fine rainbows to the net, mostly on buzzer patterns. Other boat pairings were also recording very high catches. Ray Cramp also fished buzzers from the bank & weighed in a fine eight fish bag. Bankside regular Jude Tuffs recorded a nine fish tally on Tuesday whilst, out in an afternoon boat, Gary Turner had initial sport to a team of buzzers but turned to dries when an evening rise developed towards the end of his stint. He ended with 15 to the boat.Although Wednesday saw a decline in weather conditions & a drop in the rod average to 4.6, regular bank angler Peter Bierenackienjoyed an afternoon session catching & releasing eleven trout including a 3lbs 8oz brown. An improvement on Thursday led to some frantic action back on the midge pupae. Ron Beavan & Ted Mills shared a morning boat & netted 31 on buzzer patterns. Also in a boat, Peter Elliott took fish during the morning on dries but reverted to small buzzer & diawl bachs during the afternoon.He also netted over thirty fish. Mr Ling targetted large fish over the middle with red & claret dries & his catch included two rainbows over five pounds. Kevin Rees fished small &fine with nymphs on the bank and netted a dozen. Bank anglers on Friday experienced extremely challenging conditions with very high winds and fish moving off the marginal shelves. Although season rod John Dickens coaxed seven from the bank, many others blanked.Despite a “bumpy ride”, boat anglers enjoyed better sport & returned a rod average for the day of 4.3 with Steve Conway leading the honours list with a twenty fish tally. The banks were effectively devoid of anglers on Saturday but once more, action was often fast & furious for the boat anglers. Kenny Sichi & friends shared three boats & accounted for over eighty fish to the net between them. Very favourable late spring conditions were enjoyed on Sunday & the trout responded accordingly. Ninety four anglers recorded a catch total of 529 representing a rod average of 5.62. Mr Twigge landed 16 on the bank to red & black buzzer fished as a washing line whilst Ray Cramp had a day on the lures landing another eight fish bag. Dennis Jones, also on the bank, netted a total of 16 to his size 14 buzzers. Most notable of the boat catches on Sunday was the pairing of Messrs Gray & Taylor who managed 28 all on dries.

Weekly Stats:

Number Rods:430Number Trout Taken: 657Number Trout Released: 2066

Total Catch:2723Weekly Rod Average:6.33

Current Fishing Times:

Bank:07:30 until 21:30

Boat All Day:8.30until21:30

Boat Part Day:AM 8:30until15:00 PM15:00until 21:30

Last 4 Hours from:17:30until21:30(Ticket sales available from 17:15 )

Nofish to be gutted after 21:30All Anglers to be off site by: 21:45

Congratulations to Mr MillsofTenbury Wellswho is the winner of this week’s Free Boat Draw.

Demo Tackle

We now have a considerable amount of Sage & Rio demo tackle available to try at Draycote. The following link will take you to the website where you can check out the available items:

Anglers need to ensure that even for short periods whilst obtaining a fishing permit, they only use the disabled parking bays adjacent to the main car park, if they are the holder of a duly displayed “blue badge”.

Gutting Room

Please be aware that the Gutting Room refurbishment has now been completed. Much work has taken place & we would ask that you respect the facility and leave it in the same way in which you would wish to find it. Please also note that no fish are to be gutted after 21:30

Returns

Many anglers have been failing to book out at the end of their fishing. In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. Too many anglers have been failing to do this of late & this distorts the figures leading to potential fishery management issues.

Anchoring

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available. Some anglers came close to being disappointed this week when almost all of the available passes were used.

Rudder Hire

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

It’s been an excellent week here at Draycote Water. The weather started off pretty well on Monday but deteriorated into heavy showers and windy conditions over Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday dawned dry and bright but gusty conditions continued right through until the weekend , when it then settled down into more comfortable fishing conditions.

But what a week it turned out to be, with fish being caught almost everywhere on the reservoir from both boat and bank, and on such a wide variety of methods. It came as no surprise to any of us here that the weekly rod average came in at a whopping 9.0 .

On Monday, in very bright conditions, Peter Elliott had 17 fish from the Tower bank. John Clifford also did well on Monday, catching 12 fish from a drifting boat on a midge tip line.

Tuesday was described by the Anglers as “ Very challenging conditions “, but that didn’t stop bank angler Mr Mike Oliver catching 15 fish from various points around the reservoir. Mr M Allen and Mr P Douglas toughed it out in a boat to net more than 60 fish between them. They fished through the day around A and B buoyand the Green Bank, before moving into Toft shallows in the evening, where they fished dries.

Season ticket holders Mr Tony Plummer and Mr Colin England also did extremely well in the conditions to bring more than 30 fish to the boat between them.

Wednesday saw a rise in the rod average, despite the weather, with Mr McNaughton and Mr Torlay bringing 25 fish to the boat each. Draycote regular Mr Andy Lunn used a cormorant booby to great effect, netting 21 fish.

Mr Tony Worley did really well fishing from the bank, netting 10 fish on orange buzzers and a muddler in Biggin Bay.

Thursday was a more comfortable days fishing , with yet again another good rod average, and large numbers of fish being caught everywhere. Season permit holders Tony Broadway and John Dews went afloat for a change and netted nearly 50 fish between them, mainly on buzzers. Tony returned a rainbow weighing in at 5lbs 8oz.

Mr M McNaughton and Mr B Torlay took to the water again on Thursday to record yet another 50 fish day.

Jamie Scott, fishing from a boat, used a mixture of Damsels and blobs to great effect, netting 35 fish from “all over” the reservoir.

Draycote regular Geoff Preston, had 14 fish to the boat, and reported that he was catching fish of approximately 5 to 6 lbs out in the middle of the reservoir.

Mr Neil and Mr James Miller caught 37 fish between them on a variety of methods.

Sean Hanlon caught over 30 fish on buzzers on Thursday from various points around the bank.

Friday 13th may be unlucky for some, but not for the anglers here at Draycote, where 66 rods caught a total of 701 fish for the strongest rod average of the week at 10.6.

Friday also saw the arrival of the Loch Leven Casters and Trawsfynydd Anglers. Both groups have a strong selection of experienced anglers amongst them and showed this with the large amount of fish they caught over their 3 day stay here at Draycote.

Other notables on Friday were, Mr Ed Douglas who returned 28 fish, from a drifting boat. Mr Torlay and Mr McNaughton again featuring high in the catch return with over 70 fish to the boat between them. Mr M Fisher, who had 27 fish to the boat.

Coppenhall Fly Fishers boat match took place on Saturday which went extremely well. Nearly all 22 of the anglers competing had their 4 fish limit to weight, and had countless returned between them. In fact the club managed a 12 fish rod average for the match. A variety of methods were used from a 7 inch per second sinking line and 2 blobs to dries. Both methods where equally effective, Mark Harrison, used the 7 inch per second line to tempt the biggest fish of the match a fantastic 5lb 2oz rainbow. However top honours in the match went to Mike Laycock who had the heaviest bag for his 4 fish which all came to dries fished over deep water. Outside of the Coppenhall match Mr Otter & Mr Barton had a great days sport landing over 30 fish to the boat on superglue buzzers their 4 fish went a massive 15lb 2oz in weight. Also utilising buzzers to catch a great number of fish was Mr G Lewis and G Williams who landed 44 fish to the boat.

Sunday again saw fantastic weather with more lovely spring sunshine, and light winds another great weather day for fishing buzzers. And it proved that buzzers where the outstanding method of the day with great catches being seen by a great number of people. Paul Sharp & Ian Earle had 30 fish to the boat, Mr Barnes & Mr Patrick also had 44 to the boat all falling to buzzers.

Let’s hope that this lovely settled spring weather remains and that the buzzer fishing continues to remain first class. However looking at this weeks catch returns when they go off the buzzers due to unfavourable conditions the fish still remain very catchable through fishing lures on deep sinking lines over deep water.

Weekly Stats:

Number Rods:345Number Trout Taken: 576Number Trout Released: 2517

Total Catch:3093Weekly Rod Average:9.00

Current Fishing Times:

Bank:07:30 until 21:15

Boat All Day:8.30until21:15

Boat Part Day:AM 8:30until15:00 PM15:15until 21:15

Last 4 Hours from:17:15until21:15(Ticket sales available from17:00 )

All Anglers to be off site by: 21:30

In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. If not in the lodge it will be found on the counter in the gutting room next door.

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available.

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.

Congratulations to Mr C MajorofHadlow, Kentwho is the winner of this week’s Free Boat Draw.

Forthcoming events.

Jim Williams Beginners Tuition Day 12th June 3 spaces available. Call the lodge to book the space.

Please be aware that the Gutting Room refurbishment has now been completed. Much work has taken place & we would ask that you respect the facility and leave it in the same way in which you would wish to find it.

Returns

In order to maintain the accuracy of our records could all anglers please ensure that they fill in the catch return sheet before departure. Too many anglers have been failing to do this of late & this distorts the figures leading to potential fishery management issues.

Anchoring

Boat anglers are also politely reminded of the ruling that there is no anchoring within 100 yards of any pontoon or aerators. This is especially relevant to the harbour pontoon as its own mooring chains & anchors extend out a considerable distance from the end of the harbour & are easily fouled.

Bank Anglers car passes should be, booked prior to coming fishing as we only have a limited number available. Some anglers came close to being disappointed this week when almost all of the available passes were used.

Rudder Hire

Boat anglers may wish to note that we now have a rudder for hire at the daily rate of £7. It can be pre booked at the time you make your boat booking.